[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E628-E629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      A TRIBUTE TO ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY CHAPTER OF SIGMA DELTA PI

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 1998

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to epsilon 
Kappa. St. John's University's Chapter of sigma Delta Pi, the National 
Collegiate Hispanic Society which, for seventy-seven years has been 
promoting Hispanic culture and language in the United

[[Page E629]]

States. In light of the act that we are honoring Hispanic heritage and 
culture, I am choosing to make this tribute in my native language 
Spanish.
  Hace exactamente setenta y siete anos en Berkeley, California, se 
creo una asociacion honoraria para reunir estudiantes universitarios 
sobresalientes en literatura y cultura tanto espanola como 
hispanoamericana para formar parte de esta cofradia dedicada a promover 
el pasado y presente glorioso del mundo hispanico: lo espanol, lo 
indigena y lo africano. A partir de ese momento, su proposito ha sido 
preparar nuevas generaciones para que se sientan orgullosas de sus 
raices e iniciar a estudiantes de otras culturas a apreciar lo 
maravilloso de lo nuestro.
  Es muy importante tomar en consideracion los ataques en contra de 
comunidades etnicas como la nuestra, que quieren preservar su identidad 
a traves del lenguaje y cultura. Me estoy refiriendo a la legislacion 
que comunmente es reconocida como ``English Only'', que fue presentada 
en la Camara de este Congreso para establecer el ingles como idioma 
oficial de este pais. Si esta legislacion hubiese sido aprobada, nos 
habria prohibido hablar nuestra lengua en esta Camara de Representantes 
o en cualquier sitio publico. Es importante que organizaciones como 
Sigma Delta Pi continuen con su esfuerzo en preservar la cultura 
hispana y, de esta manera, complementen a la cultura general de este 
pais.
  Successful organizations like this cannot promote themselves alone. 
They need the guidance and vision of talented leaders like Professor 
Marie-Lise Gazarian-Gautier, a renovate scholar in literature at St. 
John's University, Coordinator of the Graduate Spanish Program and 
Moderator of Epsilon Kappa. St. John's Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi. Dr. 
Gazarian is affiliate with universities in Paris-France, Moscow-Russia, 
and Santiago the 1945 Chilean Nobel Prize Laureate. She is also author 
of several books, among them: ``Gabriela Mistral: La maestra de 
Elqui''. In addition, she serves as Foreign Correspondent for several 
literary journals abroad and has hosted a nationwide series on 
``Contemporary Hispanic Fiction'' produced by WCBS-TV and St. John's 
Television Center. In 1996 she was appointed Judge of the Selection 
Committee for the Poet Laureate from Queens. She currently serves as 
Vice President for the Northeast of Sigma Delta Pi.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to rise with me today in honor of 
the seventy-seventh anniversary of Sigma Delta Pi and the invaluable 
contribution its chapters are making throughout the Hispanic Culture 
and society throughout the United States. We wish Sigma Delta Pi 
continued success and recognize St. John's University's Chapter, 
Epsilon Kappa, for its outstanding work in promoting Hispanic culture 
in America.

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